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We're Christian moms who not only love books, but love helping our kids learn to love books - and the Lord. This blog is our ministry, started because we couldn't find a comprehensive website of Christian children's picture book reviews. We hope you find it useful.

(Founder, Executive Editor, Reviewer) is the mom of a sweet and sassy 9 year old girl and an active 6 year old son. She's also the author of over 20 books. Visit Kristina at her blog Proverbs 31 Woman.

(Reviewer & Special Project Copyeditor) is the mother of Pierce, who is 15, and Natalie, 21. Christine is also the author of 11 children’s books. She lives in Ohio with her husband Bill, her son Pierce, and her dog, Black Velvet. Follow Christine's blog here.

Suzette Ladouceur(Reviewer) is a stay-at-home, homeschooling mommy to two littles (5 and 2), and wife to a sweet, loving husband. Before choosing to stay at home with her children, she was a teacher for 11 years - 1 year as an elementary music teacher and 10 years as a 4th/5th grade teacher. Learn more about Suzette and her family her blog, The Joy of Homemaking

(Reviewer) is a wife, mom, 5th grade teacher and cancer survivor. Her daughter Sydney is 10, son Lucas is 5 and daughter Ella Grace is 4. You can learn more about Amy and her story at her blog, Some of the Best Things in Life are Mistakes.

Monday, October 18, 2010

As a former high school English teacher, I am a big fan of books that show teens how to think critically and evaluate the consequences of their actions. Nancy Rue's Tournaments, Cocoa and One Wrong Move does just that.

When star basketball player, Cassidy, blows her ACL in the last game of the season, she is determined to make a comeback in time for the end of the postseason games. However, her drive to recover causes her to push herself too hard and compromise her integrity. Her soon-to-be sister-in-law offers her a "supplement" to speed her recovery, but makes Cassidy promise not to tell her parents about it. When a random drug test shows Cassidy has taken illegal steroids, everyone believes she did it on purpose. She is kicked off the team and assigned to a study hall, with "delinquents."

No longer part of a team, or the "star" of her family, Cassidy's new roles teach her about herself, but her only true comfort comes from Real Life (RL), a mysterious book she found at a coffee shop. RL turns out to be a Bible, styled after Eugene Peterson's paraphrase, The Message. In the end, Cassidy learns how to be true to herself, and a true friend.

Rue includes a personal note about the RL book at the end, and lists Scriptures used.

What I Like: Cassidy is a believable heroine, in a believable situation. Faced with tremendous pressure, she justifies poor decisions. Unfortunately, her superficial relationships with her family don't help much. However, God meets her, in the words of RL and through her Christian physical therapist. Although Cassidy's mom begins to relate to Cassidy again, we see how teens can have faith even without a strong Christian family behind them. We also see how being open-minded can lead to new friendships.

The sports culture is authentically represented. This book would appeal to female athletes in many sports, and would work well for Christian or non-Christian readers.

What I Dislike: The only thing I dislike is Cassidy ends up dating one of the rough guys from study hall. While I think it is neat she learns who he really is, and quits seeing him as a stereotypical delinquent, it seems a bit like "missionary dating." I am sure he has good intentions, but I am not sure he would know how to have a healthy relationship.

Overall Rating: Excellent, but I would recommend discussing the dating issue at the end of the book.

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